Islamic Silver Viking Trade Currency - Dirham, Al-Rashid, Abbasid Caliphate

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An Abbasid silver dirham struck at Madinat al-Salam (present-day Baghdad) in 795-796 AD (179 AH) during the reign of Caliph al-Rashid (786-809 AD). The entirely epigraphic design is rendered in Arabic Kufic script.

-> Islamic dirhams are often found in Viking Age contexts, especially in hoards from Scandinavia, the Baltic region, and Eastern Europe. They reached these regions through trade routes connecting the Islamic world with the Volga, the Baltic, and the wider Viking trading network. To the Vikings, these coins were valued mainly for their silver weight rather than their written inscriptions or issuing authority.

Obverse: بسم الله ضرب هذا الدرهم بمدينة السلام سنة تسع وسبعين ومئة.
(Bismillah. This dirham was struck in Madinat al-Salam in the year 179 AH).

Reverse: محمد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الخليفة المهدي نصر.
(Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The Caliph al-Mahdi, victory).

Diameter: ± 25.6 mm
Weight: ± 2.92 g

Condition
VF-EF, minor surface irregularities and signs of wear consistent with age and use.

Certificate of Authenticity (PDF) is available upon request for all lots with a hammer price of €100 or higher.

-> Abbasid silver dirhams travelled far beyond the Islamic world through the extensive trade routes linking the Middle East, Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. Large numbers have been discovered in Viking Age hoards, where they were valued principally for their silver content and were often weighed, cut into fragments or used as jewellery. The term “Viking Age dirham” therefore refers to their wider period of circulation and archaeological context. The silver dirham became an important international trade coin because of its reliable silver content and wide circulation.

-> Harun al-Rashid (c. 766–809 AD) was the fifth Abbasid caliph, ruling from 786 to 809 AD. His reign is associated with the wealth and cultural flourishing of the Abbasid court, with Baghdad serving as a major centre of trade and learning. He became famous through stories in The Thousand and One Nights. Silver dirhams issued during his reign have been found in Viking Age hoards, reflecting extensive trade connections with the Islamic world.

-> The Abbasid dynasty overthrew the Umayyads in 750 AD and established Baghdad as its capital in 762 AD. Under Abbasid rule, the city became a major centre of trade, science, literature, and scholarship during the Islamic Golden Age. Although their political power declined over time, the Abbasids retained the Caliphate in Baghdad until the Mongol conquest in 1258 AD. A later branch held a largely ceremonial Caliphate in Cairo until 1517 AD. Abbasid silver dirhams have been found in Viking Age treasure hoards, reflecting extensive trade connections between the Islamic world and northern Europe.

-> Unlike contemporary European coins, Abbasid dirhams generally avoided portraits and other figural imagery. Their visual authority was instead conveyed through carefully arranged religious inscriptions, the name or title of the Caliph and the precision of their silver standard.

-> Dirhams were the standard silver coinage used in the Islamic world from Spain to central Asia, but they are also found in hoards of the 9th and 10th centuries across northern Europe.

During the Viking Age, Scandinavia received enormous quantities of Islamic coins, dirhams, acquired by Rūs traders in exchange for furs and other commodities along long distance river trading routes stretching across the eastern and southern Baltic coasts and inland waterways.

These dirhams are also found in Viking hoards, such as the Storr Rock Viking hoard (Isle of Skye) and the York Viking hoard which was discovered in 2007.